Night out with a bro

Sunday night, I met up with one of the other bros, and we wandered down to the Cheiftan for a drop of good cheer.

The evening began with the Red Breast 12 year, which I argue gets improved with just the tiniest hint of ice.   The red breast has a tiny hint of astringent in it's opening nose,  and the hint of chill eliminates that completely.   Adding the bits of water from the ice also opens up the flavour quite a bit, allowing that oatmeal note to really shine.    Still a fine, fine whiskey.

Then, after a bit of food, a slow and careful perusal of the whisk(e)y list, I decided that I'd try The Isle of Jura, a single malt scotch whisky, which comes in a 10 and 16.  It's always been my thought that one should start with the worst of a thing, and work your way up to the best of a thing.  So, I started with the 10.

A very interesting scotch.   Very smokey nose, with a rush of mild peat up front.  But, where it gets really interesting is the aftertaste.   The burn rolls down with a hint of saltwater, and the exhale contains the taste of seaweed, or coastal greens.   This is not an insult to the flavour, as this is a smell/taste that I rather enjoy and am quite used to, having grown up on a northern coast.    The burn is a little too much for my palette, but I'd be willing to give the 16 a try, see if it disipates more in those 6 years..